Othello Flashcards
When was Othello first performed?
1604
Who wrote Othello?
William Shakespeare
“A play text is a script for performance.”
What are some of the implications of this?
It is a group product, the result of decisions about the text taken by all involved.
Actors may add/delete things in a performance.
Text may be subject to revisions, excisions & other alterations.
Repeat performances with different audiences may prompt different responses & interpretations.
What does the full title ‘The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice’ tell the reader about the play?
It is a tragedy, involving the death of a great/noble person.
Main character is called Othello.
Othello is a Moor.
What did the term ‘tragedy’ signify?
A play involving the death of a great or noble person.
Who were the Moors?
The Muslim inhabitants of North Africa (mainly Morocco & Algeria).
In the 8th century they conquered much of present day Spain.
They were considered heathens but some became Christians after the re-conquest of Spain in the 15th century.
Othello opens with:
Enter Roderigo and Iago.
Roderigo: Tush, never tell me! I take it much unkindly / That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse / As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.
Iago: ‘Sblood, but you’ll not hear me! If ever I / Did dream of such a matter, abhor me.
Roderigo: Thou told’st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.
Iago: Despise me if I do not.
(1.1.1-7)
What is the effect of starting the play in this way?
The play starts in the middle of the action, something has obviously happened but at the moment we don’t know what.
Roderigo doesn’t believe whatever it is that Iago has previously said, what they are referencing isn’t clear; this draws the audience in.
The audience is expected to want to know what is going on, who the characters are & to whom and what they are referring.
Rouses curiosity as the conversation has been going on for a while, typical opening for a play.
Act 1, Scene 1
What do we learn about the relationship between Iago & Roderigo in the opening lines?
Roderigo is dependent on Iago.
Iago has been using Roderigo’s money for some reason, though it is not clear what for.
Iago appears to rely on Roderigo in some way.
Act 1, Scene 1
What is Iago most concerned about in the opening section of the play?
Iago has been passed over for promotion (‘election’ (l.26) and feels angry and humiliated.
Act 1, Scene 1
When Iago refers to Othello as ‘his Moorship’ (l.32), what sort of tone is he using?
Iago is being sarcastic/mocking. Not respectful.
Using a pun on the term ‘his worship’. Undermining the sense of the term for someone of higher status (Othello is his army superior).
Act 1, Scene 1
How does this scene prepare the audience/reader for what happens next in the play?
Audience is prepared for some kind of conspiracy & disruption.
Evident that conspiracy has already been set afoot - Iago eggs on Roderigo to ‘incense’ Brabantio (l.69), who is ‘her’ father (though we don’t know who she is).
What is signified by Roderigo’s use of ‘thou’ when addressing Iago, where Iago uses ‘you’ when addressing Roderigo?
Iago is using the polite form which should be used when addressing someone of superior rank.
Sarcastic word choice, he also calls him ‘sir’. It is clear he is actually the dominant force between the pair.
Act 1, Scene 1
Which of Iago’s character traits does Shakespeare highlight in the first scene?
Adeptness at manipulating those around him.
His resentment at being passed over for promotion.
His verbal inventiveness (compared to Roderigo’s brief & dull responses).
Act 1, Scene 1
When Iago says ‘Mere prattle without practice’ (l.25) regarding Cassio’s promotion over him, what does he mean?
Cassio’s is an ‘arithmetician’ (l.18) so he understands the abstract theory of war rather than the practicalities of soldiering, which Iago believes he is skilled in.
Cassio can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.
Act 1, Scene 1
In Iago’s speech beginning ‘We cannot all be masters…’ And ending ‘I am not what I am’ (ll. 43-65), what is he saying?
He seems to be saying that he will not show everyone who and what he is, thereby pursuing his ‘peculiar end’ (l.60) - his own specific aims and ambitions.
The final line actually announces the kind of person he is, invites audience to admire him before realising what the outcome of this behaviour might be.
Act 1, Scene 1
When Iago says he opposes the ‘native act an figure of my heart’ to ‘outward action’ (ll. 62, 61), what does he mean?
He means that if his outward behaviour were to become a reflection of his innermost feelings & intentions then he would be dangerously exposing his inner self.
What is figurative language?
Language used in a non-literal way.
Metaphor.
What is an iambic pentameter?
A line of ten syllables that fall into five measures of two syllables each, in which one unstressed syllable is followed by one stressed syllable.
Why did Shakespeare use iambic pentameter?
It sounds natural because it is based on the rhythm of everyday English speech.
It is easier to memorise than a longer line/more complicated rhythm; helpful to actors learning the plays.
Act 1, Scene 1
What do ‘Awake!’, ‘put on your gown!’ And ‘Arise, arise!’ (ll. 79, 86, 89) tell the reader about when this is takin place?
Suggests the scene is taking place at night.
Which two countries are the setting for Othello?
Venice in Act 1 & Cyprus in Act 2.
Act 1, Scene 1
What imagery do Iago and Roderigo use in their language as they try to provoke Brabantio?
Unpleasant imagery & figurative language.
A register of animalistic sexual activity - Iago: an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe (1.1.88-89). Ram associated with lust & sexual potency, blackness associated with the devil. Description of Othello as ‘old’ shows he is older than his wife.
Act 1, Scene 1
Roderigo’s line ‘the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor’ (1.1.125) feature alliteration of the ‘s’ sounds.
What might this add to the performance?
Add to the resonance of the utterance.
They can be spat out in disgust.
Emphasises unpleasantness of ‘lascivious’ with association of Moors with unbridled sexuality.
Act 1, Scene 1
Brabantio believes he has been robbed of his daughter and that witchcraft has been used to steal her away.
What does this say about his attitude towards his daughter and women in general?
He sees his daughter as a possession, something that can be stolen from him.
That it is his right to chose who she marries.
That a black man could only have secured her consent to marriage by using witchcraft on her.
Act 1, Scene 2
How does Othello as seen on stage compare to the descriptions given of him by other characters?
His opening words are brief but eloquent, suggesting he is serious, dignitified, and has weight and authority.
He does not seem like a ‘gross’ or ‘lascivious’ animal as described by Iago & Roderigo, as like Brabantio’s black magician.
Act 1, Scene 2
What does Othello mean when he says his services ‘Shall out-tongue his complaints’ (1.2.19)?
A metaphor meaning that his known virtues & achievements will speak more loudly than Brabantio’s accusations.
